Lost in Paradise
by Kstuffles
Summary: This is the story of Kate and some of the troubles she faces. Characters include Jack, Sawyer, Hurley, Sun and Sayid. Comments are most welcomed and appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

_(Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to Lost and I do not claim to own any of it. This is all purely for the viewers pleasure. Enjoy!)_

The rain came down so hard. On this tropical island, it rained a lot and unpredictably. Today was just another day, rain that came out of nowhere and soon was going to leave in the same manner. Yet today was different. There was something in the air. All the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 could feel it. Though it rained, they felt tense and ready to run. No one knows why they are on edge but there is something so everyone is on full alert

Kate, in the meantime, stands somewhere in the forest, not too far from the beach with her arms crossed and a look of determination on her face. Not too long ago she had seen a black horse. She had seen it when she had run away from Sawyer in the Hatch. It had been the same horse that made the US Marshall drive off the road the first time he caught her. There was no way it could be here now, can there?

'I must be going crazy. It's this island. I've finally cracked under the pressure of everything.' She thought to herself.

Kate stood in that spot for a while, unaware of time passing by when she heard it, a soft nicker and the sound of leaves and twigs snapping. Her heart started to speed up and her breath turned shallow as she slowly turned around slowly. There he was, standing still and looking at her as she looked at him. He was all black, black mane, black tail and black body. His eyes held so much wisdom that Kate found she couldn't look away from those dark eyes. It seemed that he wanted to tell her something but she didn't understand.

Just as she was about to move closer, to reach out and touch the horse footsteps were heard. The horse lifted his head, looked back at her then turned and ran off into the jungle again. It didn't take him long to disappear from her sight.

"Wait! Please don't go." She said loudly and started to go after it.

"Kate, what are you doing? Are you OK?" It was Jack, the only doctor on this island.

At his voice she knew she couldn't go on. That and the fact that the horse was faster than her and had a head start. Though she could track it, she would have to explain to Jack and she didn't know if she could. So she stopped and turned to look at him. He was soaked, but then so was she, and looked at her with concern. It was a little nerve wrecking to see such concern coming from him, the fact that he cared enough about her to be concerned but she said nothing about it.

"Hey. Yeah I'm fine. Where you headed off to?" She asked, trying to divert his questioning, hoping he hadn't heard her call out.

He walked over and looked at her. He had so many questions for her but couldn't ask them. He knew that she would bolt if he did and then he would have to build up the trust again. It was a fight he wasn't ready to fight just yet. One day though he might find the right time.

"Heading back to the cave. Sawyer needed some more antibiotics and figured I would make a house call. What are you doing out here alone?"

Kate pushed some of her hair from her face and gestured that if he started walking she would follow. So Jack started his trek to the Cave again and Kate walked alongside him.

"I thought I had heard something out here so I came to check it out." Kate said, trying not to lie to him. It always made her feel bad, as if he knew somehow that she was lying.

"Well did you find anything?"

Kate shook her head.

"Not really. I probably was just hearing things or something fell or even some animal trudging alone, who knows." She said softly, feeling almost guilty at her lie, well. Then again it wasn't a complete lie. There was an animal out here she just didn't tell him that she saw it.

After this, Kate and Jack walked on in the pouring rain in silence. Not much was going on for them to talk about. Though Kate knew Jack had questions, she didn't let on that he could ask them. They were questions she didn't know if she could answer. He knew she was a fugitive and knew that she had killed someone but that was all. She had given him a chance to ask but he passed it up. Maybe one day she would be able to tell him but she wasn't sure if that would be anytime soon.

The silence between them was companionable. It seemed like this since the moment Jack asked her to stitch up his side the first day. Since then they have been on adventure, scares and injuries. Both of them thought that the silence between them was nice. It wasn't often that they were able to walk in companionable silence like this. With the four survivors from the tail section arriving, the death of Shannon, Sawyer just making it from a shot wound and Sayid on edge, and opening the hatch and finding what was in it, it was all a little much in such a short time.

Sadly it didn't last for long. Someone was running towards them, fast. Must be important. Kate and Jack looked at each other then looked towards where the person was coming.

"Jack! Kate!"

It was Hurley that was running towards them. It looked like he had been running a little while; he was out of breath and seemed in mild pain. Kate and Jack ran over to him.

"What's wrong Hurley?" Jack asked.

Hurley stood up straight and put his hands on his sides.

"Sawyer and Eko are fighting. I don't think Sawyer will stop and Eko is getting him good."

That was all he had to say. Kate and Jack, without another word took off running to the beach. Eko didn't want to hide in the caves and Sawyer had his own little stash on the beach. So that's where the two were headed. Eko was far stronger then Sawyer so they both knew that Sawyer was in trouble. Sawyer was too proud to be beat so he would go on til he couldn't anymore. That is unless Jack and Kate can stop them.

It didn't take them long to reach the beach and to find the two. The crowd that surrounded them gave them away. Within seconds Kate and Jack pushed through the crowd and saw that Sawyer was in bad shape. Jack jumped and grabbed Sawyer and Kate jumped into the middle facing Eko. She knew Eko wasn't the one who started it so she wasn't afraid that he would attack.

Looking over her shoulder she saw that Sawyer was cursing and trying to get away from Jack but since he was pretty bad off he couldn't manage to get away from Jack.

"Sawyer you need to stop!" Yelled Kate so she could be heard.

Sawyer paused and looked up to see Kate. He had been so worried about getting away from Jack that he hadn't noticed she had been there. When Kate saw him pause she sighed. Men, they were so proud and never knew when to stop, especially Sawyer.

"Now that I have your attention, I want to know why you two were fighting."

Kate looked from Sawyer to Eko then back. Jack still had a grip of Sawyer, looking at Kate approvingly, but his grip was loose since he stopped fighting to break free. It was more of a precaution now since who knew if Sawyer would attack again.

"Kujo over there accused me of taking his necklace."

Kate looked away from Sawyer and made eye contact with Eko.

"Is that true?" She asked, her voice light so as mot to fan any flames by making him think she was calling him a liar.

"I had it on a rock while I slept. I woke up and it was gone. That was two days ago. I find him with it in his hands. How else would he have gotten it if he had not stolen it from me?"

Raising an eyebrow she turned and looked at Sawyer who was still angry looking.

"How did you get the necklace Sawyer?"

He turned his glare to her. If she didn't know him she would flinch under his gaze, but since she did she waited, unmoving.

"I was walking along the beach this morning. As I walked by some of the tents I saw something shining from the sand. I walked over and pulled the necklace up, which was half buried. As I was looking at it, Kujo over there charged at me, yelling that I stole it. Which I didn't. If he would of asked I would have given it to him."

Kate reached down and picked up the silver chain and looked at it. At the end was a small silver cross. If Eko got mad over this it must have been important to him. She vaguely remembered hearing Eko made Charlie take him to the plane where Boone had his accident. With the cross in her hands she walked over and handed it to Eko, who took it very gently and then put it around his neck.

Looking at Kate for a moment, silently thanking her then left. All that remained was Sawyer. Turning she walked over to him and crossed her arms. Jack let him go and stepped back, readjusting the straps to his backpack.

"I believe you didn't steal it but next time I wouldn't get into a fight with him. I'm pretty sure he would kill you if he wanted to."

Kate's voice was laced with amusement. Now that the fight was over it was kind of funny. Though she always thought it was funny when Sawyer got hurt, only when it wasn't too serious of course.

Sawyer touched his face and came back with blood. Clenching his jaw he looked up at Kate, still glaring at her as if all this was her fault.

"I'll remember that next time he comes charging full speed at me."

Shaking her head she laughed and pulled out a shirt from her backpack. Thankfully it had stopped raining when Jack and Kate reached the beach. The rains here never lasted long. Handing the shirt over to Sawyer she couldn't help but keep smiling.

"You might want to clean yourself up. You look terrible."

Sawyer took the shirt and walked away, grumbling. Putting her hands in her pockets she looked over at Jack who was looking at her. Kate couldn't read the expression he wore.

"You ready to try going to the cave again?" She asked, still lightly.

Jack smiled a little at her small joke and nodded.

"Yeah. You handled the situation pretty good."

He commented as they started walking towards the jungle.

"Thanks. That necklace must mean a lot to him if he goes charging at Sawyer. I've never seen Eko mad like that before."

Jack nodded; he had thought the same thing. He was always the quiet observant one.

Again the two of them walked through the jungle in silence. As they walked on, Jack seemed content just watching where they were walking, making sure they were going in the right direction but not Kate. Though she tried to hide it, she had a feeling Jack knew what she was doing. She couldn't stop herself from searching. Kate had no idea where the horse came from, or if it was just from her mind, but she wanted to see it again, to touch it, so she kept searching afraid she would miss it. This horse meant something to her, it belonged to her past , so why was he here now? This is one question she may never know.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate and Jack made it to the Cave without much more trouble. They were chased by a boar, Kate slipped down a small hill but nothing else exciting.

At the cave Jack went to his small doctor area and sat down, putting the medicine he had taken back. It was sometimes hard to look at this place and not see Boone. Jack had tried so hard to save but yet ended up losing him. That was the hardest thing that Jack had gone through since arriving on this island. Now Shannon, Boone's sister was with him, where ever they went to.

Kate stood there looking around. This Cave had been their saving grace in the time of Ethan trying to kidnap Claire and her unborn (now born) child. Now half of the people stay at the Beach and half stay at the Cave. Kate divided her time. Sometimes she stayed at the Cave and sometimes at the beach. Jack was the same way, though sometimes he stayed at the Hatch. Kate never did feel all that comfortable staying there.

Taking the water bottle in her hand she walked over to the water and filled her bottle up. There on the side were a few empty ones. Since she was here she might as well fill those up as well. When they were full she set them to the side and stood up, her own bottle in hand. She knew what she needed to do but wasn't sure she wanted to. Kate was tired, she hadn't slept well in the last two days but she was also worried she was going crazy.

Walking over to where she left her backpack she picked it up and put it on her back. Jack caught sight of her and walked over to her.

"Are you going somewhere?"

He could tell she was tired, seen it since he found her in the pouring rain but again he said nothing about it. Last time he told her she needed sleep she got up and went to pick fruit, as if to prove she was fine. He would really just be wasting his time telling her.

"Just thought I would go see if I couldn't find some more fruit trees, another source of water. More or less explore." That wasn't a lie. She would keep an eye out for those things; it just wasn't the main reason.

"If you give me a minute I'll go with you."

"No thank you, I would actually like to go alone. Give me some time to think and just be alone."

Jack looked at her a moment. He felt a little saddened she didn't want him to go but he would let her go. Every person needed time alone, Kate was no exception.

"Just be careful."

Kate nodded. She knew what he was talking about. That monster that was out there as well as the Others. The Others were always close to the mind. They have kidnapped and killed the people and so caused fear. Kate on the other hand wasn't as afraid as she should be.

"Yeah I will. Thanks. I'll catch ya later."

With that she put her water bottle in her backpack and left the cave. The horse had to be around somewhere and Kate was determined to find him. She didn't know why it was so important to but it was. There was a fire inside her that burned, one that she has known. It was the fire to run, to find what it is she needs. It was the fire she felt when she sought out Tom, the fire she felt to get him to go with her and pull up that old metal lunch box.

2 hours later

Kate stopped, sat against a tree and took a long swallow from her water bottle. She had been out here for more then two hours and had seen no sign of the horse. This just didn't seem fair. It was the horse was taunting her. Looking up at the sky, what little she could see, she saw that the sun was going down. She was going to have to start making her way back if she was going to make it before dark. It wasn't always a good thing being caught out in the jungle at night with no means of light and all alone.

Just as Kate stood up she heard something moving in the jungle. A part of her wanted to check it out but another part of her was a little to worried to. It could be the Others, it could be the monster but not likely. It usually made a lot of noise, this was not a lot of noise, though not exactly quiet.

Kate couldn't help herself, she had to look and see what it was. Just as she moved around the tree she froze. There stood the horse, the reason Kate came out all this way. He stood there munching on some grass as she stared at him. She wasn't sure what she should do. She wanted to go over and touch him but she was scared if she moved he would bolt. Though as she stood there, it didn't take him long to notice she was there. The stallion lifted his head and looked at her. Then giving a snort he bent his head back down and started to eat again. Kate bit her lower lip gently and started to move towards him slowly. Though his head was down she knew he was watching her, which was fine with her as long as he didn't run.

As she got close, so very close, the stallion lifted his head and looked at her. Stopping with just enough distance between them Kate reached out her hand. The horse flared his nostrils a few times then walked over and placed his nose against her hand. Kate almost started to cry, the tears burned the back of her eyes but she didn't let them fall. He was real, not just in her mind. She wasn't going crazy.

"So you really are here. I thought I was going crazy."

Kate said to the horse. Petting him for a while she felt such relief, such a weight that seemed to lift off her shoulders that she wasn't sure what to do. When the stallion stepped away from her she let him, her hands falling to her sides. For a little while the two of them just stood there, staring at each other then he turned and trotted back into the heart of the jungle. When he was gone she felt something hit her hand. Looking down she saw a drop of what looked like water. When another fell she touched her face and found tears. Kate hadn't realized she had been crying. It was a relief that she found the horse and found him real.

After a few minutes of looking at the empty space the stallion was at, pulling herself together, she adjusted the straps to her backpack and figured she had better get back. She had a feeling if she didn't make it back tonight Jack would send out a search party.

Pushing her long wavy brown hair from her face she started back. As she walked, not too much longer later, she found a fruit tree, full of fresh fruit. The trees close to the beach and cave were pretty much picked clean so Kate decided to climb the tree and grab a bunch. It would also help to keep Jack from asking questions if she returned empty handed.

When her backpack was full and unable to hold anymore she slid down the tree, smiling, and headed back to camp. She felt so much better. She hadn't realized how depressed and upset she was until she met with the horse and was able to touch him.

Making it back to camp as it got dark she went to the hatch instead of the cave. It was probably her shift at the button and she wanted a shower. After the rain it had gotten hot and trekking through the jungle she sweated. Maybe Locke wouldn't mind sitting at the desk a little while longer while she showered.

Inside the hatch now she walked down the hallway and smiled when she heard the record playing going. Someone was enjoying some music. As she made it into the living room slash kitchen she stopped in her tracks. Sawyer.

In the kitchen, washing his hands it seemed, was sawyer in just pants, his shirt was gone. Kate swallowed and resumed her walk to the counter on the other side of the sink. She needed to wash the fruit but she wanted a shower first, more now then before. It unnerved Kate how she felt around Sawyer. He was so arrogant, cocky, rude, mean and a jerk at the best of times. Though she felt a connection with him, stronger then she felt with Jack. Maybe it was because he went through very bad times like she did, was on the run like she was. She didn't know and frankly wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"Well hey there freckles. Where have you been all day?"

His voice made her look up at him. One side of his face was purple and his lower lip was cut. He was lucky that was all he got from that fight with Eko.

"I was out exploring a little. Most of the trees by the beach and the cave are picked clean of fruit so I went out to see if I could find some. "

That wasn't a lie either though it didn't bother her to lie to Sawyer like it did with Jack.

"Yeah and what did little ol' you find?"

He asked mockingly. He did it to everyone but for some reason more so to Kate. She has always been around and even stuck by his side when he was injured and almost dying. He had loved the attention she gave him but he was damned if he would tell her or even show her that he cared.

"Fruit."

Kate said shortly. Sometimes his comments got on her nerves. Though she knew that's who he was she couldn't help but wonder if he did this as an act.

Shaking her head she pulled the fruit out of her bag and waited til Sawyer moved then slipped them into the sink. Turning on the water she let them sit then drained the water. Now that they were clean she grabbed her backpack and headed towards the hallway.

"Where you going now?"

Sawyer asked. Not that it was any of his business!

"To take a shower, that ok with you?"

She said without turning around. Once in the bathroom she walked in and shut the door. Dropping her backpack she stripped and stood under the hot water. Every now and then the water would go cold and it smelt vaguely of sulfur but it was a shower, she wasn't going to complain.

Clean and feeling much better she stepped out, dried off and slipped into her clothes. Today was turning out to be a good day. Though it started out rough, it was ending on a good note. She found the horse and she was able to take a mostly hot shower.

Pulling her wet hair into a bun she walked out of the shower and headed into the room with the computer. John Locke was sitting at the desk with a cross word puzzle. Kate didn't ask where he got it because she didn't really care.

"Sorry it took me so long to get back."

Kate said when Locke looked up. He always made her feel a little uneasy but for the most part he seemed like a good guy. Though she lost a lot of respect for him when Boone died. Locke brought the bleeding guy back but when Jack asked him what happened Locked lied then disappeared. So far he seemed like he was trying to make up for it, though Kate wondered if Jack would ever really trust Locke again.

"It's not a problem. Are you ok?"

He asked, like he always did, in a pleasant slightly concerned tone.

"Yeah im great."

When Locke got up and moved around to the other side of the computer Kate walked over and sat down. Without any further conversation Locked took off to who knew where. Sighing Kate rubbed her face with her hands and looked at the computer screen. For a moment she wondered if Jack was right. Was this all just a mind game? Would anything happen if they didn't enter the code and hit execute?

Kate shook her head. It wasn't something she wanted to think about. There were more important things that needed her attention. This thing with Sawyer and Jack, Kate should probably try and figure out what was there and what wasn't. Not that she wanted to. Kate was used to being on the run, for a long while she was. The domesticated life wasn't for her, she had tried once. Got married and was with him for six months but the need to run, to be somewhere else was to great.

Sitting back Kate looked up at the ceiling and saw she had sixty-seven minutes till time came. Standing up she walked out and into the living room area. The wall had quite a few books, which Sawyer had expressed happiness about, looked them over and grabbed a book. No one would be in here, hopefully until the person who was to take over for her came. So with the book in hand Kate went and sat down at the desk and opened the book. For now she would let the book take her away, away from everything that's real. No more island, no more Jack or Sawyer, no more hatch, no more horses. For now she would be in a world that was created. Hopefully in there she can be momentarily relieved of life. One can hope.


End file.
